Manchester United in despair as Basle ride their luck to knock Premier League giants out of Champions League

Knocked off their perch by the ‘noisy neighbours’ at home and relegated to
second-class citizens in the Eurozone, Manchester United are doing their
best to ensure Sir Alex Ferguson endures a miserable 70th birthday later
this month.

Seven months ago, it was mighty Barcelona who ended United’s hopes of a fourth European Cup. Now they cannot even overcome Basle to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Local rivalry with fellow Champions League failures Manchester City in the Europa League will add some Mancunian sibling rivalry to Uefa’s ugly sister of a competition, but it’s the last place United want, or expect, to be.

But they can have no complaints about their Thursday nights being taken up by trips to Kharkiv and Kazan after goals by Marco Streller and Alex Frei gave the Swiss champions a deserved victory.

Although Phil Jones’s injury-time header gave United a flicker of hope, they failed to pull off another European miracle.

But in truth, their elimination was no less than United deserved for their abject performance in Switzerland. They were simply not good enough.

Although United’s task appeared straightforward - avoid defeat and progression would be secured - the unhappy coincidence of their Champions League fate being decided on the sixth anniversary of their group stage exit against Benfica in Lisbon in 2005 was not one for those of a superstitious nature.

And to add to the ominous sense of all not being quite right for United, their white-and-black strip against Basle’s blue and maroon stripes was almost a mirror image of the scene at Wembley in May, prior to Barcelona’s dismantling of United in the Champions League final.

Basle are no Barcelona, however, and Streller and Frei hardly in the same league as David Villa and Lionel Messi, but the Swiss proved they could get under United’s skin during their 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in September and they clearly remembered how to expose their visitors’ pressure points as they took the game to Ferguson’s team in St Jakob-Park.

United, without the suspended Michael Carrick and injured Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov, as well as long-term absentees Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Michael Owen, appeared uncertain in the early stages.

That sense of unease was amplified by goalkeeper David de Gea’s weak punch from an early Xherdan Shaqiri cross and the Spaniard was at fault for Streller’s goal in the ninth minute.

Although he has produced some stunning saves since his £18.3m summer transfer from Atletico Madrid, De Gea has also had numerous moments to forget and this was another.

With Chris Smalling floored inside the penalty area following a clash of heads with Nemanja Vidic, Shaqiri was left free to cross from the left flank. His ball was too close to De Gea, but the goalkeeper attempted to clear the cross with his leg, but he instead sliced the ball into Streller’s path and the Basle captain took the chance to score from close range.

United were now staring at elimination and the ignominy of participation in the Europa League in the new year and that stark reality lifted their game and saw Nani and Ashley Young, fuelled by Ryan Giggs in midfield, pushing Basle back with repeated raids down the flanks.

But the Basle goal was leading a charmed life and once United entered the penalty area, their good work turned to dust.

Nani looked to have teed Rooney up for an equaliser on 30 minutes, but the England forward missed the ball completely inside the six yard box. As the ball dropped loose to Ji-sung Park, the startled midfielder saw his shot saved.

Five minutes later, Rooney was released in the 18-yard box by Giggs, but his first time shot was well saved by Yann Sommer in the Basle goal.

While United pushed forward, the mercurial Shaqiri gave Basle an attacking outlet by repeatedly tormenting Patrice Evra down the left, but the winger’s taste for the spectacular often saw him choose the wrong option, with Streller’s frustration with his young team-mate’s lack of awareness evident as the game wore on.

United suffered a serious blow to their hopes on 42 minutes, however, when Vidic went down in agony inside the Basle half, clutching his right knee before being stretchered off.

With United starting the second-half knowing they needed to score to avoid elimination, the stakes were raised with every passing minute.

But the tension could have been eased by Rooney on 49 minutes had he converted United’s best chance of the game.

After springing the offside trap to latch onto Giggs’s pass, Rooney bore down on goal with defenders trailing in his wake, but with a shot into the far corner opening up, the United forward aimed his effort wide.

It was a bad miss and one which almost ended United’s hopes with Alex Frei forcing a stunning save from De Gea with a 20-yard free-kick four minutes later.

Had that one crept underneath the crossbar, United would have been as good as out, but the keeper redeemed himself for his earlier error by keeping it out of the net.

Trailing by just one goal, United remained in the game and they nearly equalised in bizarre circumstances on the hour when Markus Steinhofer’s mis-clearance rattled the Basle crossbar.

Once again, luck was against United and the home side survived. Basle were happy to ride the storm and their perseverance was rewarded on 85 minutes when Frei crept in at the far post to score from close range after Shaqiri had cross following Rooney’s stray pass.

Jones’s claimed a late consolation, but it was too little, too late.

So while Europe’s elite make plans for the Champions League final in Munich, United must now plot a route to Bucharest for the Europa League Final. How humiliating.

Where did it all go wrong?

Sep 14: Benfica 1 Man Utd 1 A hard-earned draw in Portugal, Oscar Cardozo's opener cancelled out by Ryan Giggs who became the Champions League's oldest scorer at 37 years and 289 days.

Sep 27: Man Utd 3 Basle 3 Danny Welbeck gave United a dream start with two early goals but Fabian Frei and brother Alexander (2) almost pulled off a famous Swiss win before Ashley Young equalised in the last minute.

Oct 18: Otelul Galati 0 Man Utd 2 New territory for United as they took on the unheralded Romanians and two Wayne Rooney penalties wrapped up a comfortable win.

Nov 2: Man Utd 2 Otelul Galati 0 Same opponents, same scoreline - this time the goals coming from Antonio Valencia and Rooney.

Nov 22: Man Utd 2 Benfica 2 Red alert for United. Phil Jones' early own goal put them on the back foot and although they hit back through Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher, the equaliser from Pablo Aimar was a real hammer blow.

Dec 7: FC Basle 2 Man Utd 1 United crash out of the Champions League following an insipid display in Switzerland. Goals from Marco Streller and Alex Frei send the Swiss side through, despite Phil Jones's last-minute strike.